The newest and the best ship for luxury cruise

[Navigator41]

I just returned from USA taking Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas cruise to ffice:smarttags" />lace w:st="on">Eastern Caribbeanlace> and already planning my new cruise I am looking for the newest 2010-2011 preferably large tonnage and luxury ship for summer 2011 cruise The cost for the suite is not important the more luxurious the better
Your wise advice will be greatly appreciated

[kitty9]

You won't find a large luxury ship in the tonnage of Oasis. The reason luxury ships are luxury is because they're small. You cannot possibly have the great food, service and personal attention on a ship that carries thousands. The closest you can come is to book a Queens Grill suite on a Cunard ship, but it won't be a true luxury experience in every sense of the word, because once you step out of your suite or the QG restaurant, you're on just another mass market ship and not luxury.

[Travelcat2]

I second what Kitty9 has said. The newest luxury ships carry between 450 and 540 passengers. Also, newest does not always equate to best. Several people who have tried the new ships prefer the older ones. Suggest you find a TA that specializes in booking luxury cruises. They should be able to point you in the right direction. Once you have an idea of which cruise line will fit your requirements, you can visit the specific boards and ask questions. Good luck

[wripro]

And I second what Travelcat2 has said. A knowledgeable TA is your best asset in finding the right ship for you.

[martinsfo]

Luxury ships are marked by tremendous service and high staff to guest ratios. Just looking at the economics shows that a large mega ship cannot possibly be a luxury ship. Take a 50,000 ton ship. Regardless of how many passengers are on it, the cost of sailing it from point a to point b makes up most of the costs for that ship. Therefore, whether you have Crystal's 900 to 1000 passengers or RC's 2000 passengers, both will have around the same 500-600 crew members. Food is very incremental with the dollar difference between top line food and mainstream food being several dollars a day, a nominal cost on a cruise. So the overhead of sailing that ship from point A to point B has to be spread over a much smaller population on the luxury ship. If you had a mega ship, that would prove to be too costly to be done. Hope that sheds some light on the question.

[Travelcat2]

Sorry, but I found the last post a bit confusing. If you are truly looking for a "new" ship, I would try Seabourn's Sojourn or Silversea's Silver Spirit. Seabourn will have one more "new" ship, the Quest, which will debut in late May or early June, 2011. We will be on the Silver Spirit in 3 weeks and will report on the experience

[winegirl]

Take a look at this new ship for 2011. 1,250 passengers, which is a big leap in passenger count for Oceania, and not to our taste, but the ship looks lovely.

[kitty9]

With all due respect winegirl, and fellow Wisconsinite, Oceania is not in the luxury market, but more a premium line. Their new ships are very nice, but not in the same category as Seabourn/Regent/Silversea/Crystal.

[orchestrapal]

If you are "down to earth" and want country club casual dress, great food and service and best of all people who are also down to earth Oceania may be the line for you. The judges of what is and what is not luxury are not always on target.
Take a look at Oceania's new Marina to debut very soon and at their wonderful itineraries. Good luck.

[wripro]

I agree that luxury is subjective and to some people a Hilton Hotel will be luxurious but it is not a Four Seasons Hotel no matter how they advertise themselves. I sail mostly Seabourn and Silversea but I will be trying the Marina on March 28th and look forward to it very much, knowing that I will not be sailing on a luxury line.

[Travelcat2]

Originally Posted by orchestrapal

If you are "down to earth" and want country club casual dress, great food and service and best of all people who are also down to earth Oceania may be the line for you. The judges of what is and what is not luxury are not always on target.
Take a look at Oceania's new Marina to debut very soon and at their wonderful itineraries. Good luck.

You sound like you are describing Oceania's "sister" cruiseline. . . . Regent. The major difference in the two cruiselines is the ultra all-inclusiveness of Regent (drinks, tipping, most shore excursions, airfare and one night pre-cruise at a hotel). Also, Regent has larger "regular" suites. Regent is also country club casual dress (or, to be more specific, "Elegant Casual" which means no jeans, short or t-shirts in the evning).

The Oceania Marina looks gorgous (from the photographs). . . . even with our history of sailing on Regent. . . . we may just have to try this ship

[orchestrapal]

Originally Posted by Travelcat2

You sound like you are describing Oceania's "sister" cruiseline. . . . Regent. The major difference in the two cruiselines is the ultra all-inclusiveness of Regent (drinks, tipping, most shore excursions, airfare and one night pre-cruise at a hotel). Also, Regent has larger "regular" suites. Regent is also country club casual dress (or, to be more specific, "Elegant Casual" which means no jeans, short or t-shirts in the evning).

The Oceania Marina looks gorgous (from the photographs). . . . even with our history of sailing on Regent. . . . we may just have to try this ship

No, describing Oceania. For us paying for drinks we don't drink and tours we don't take and now hotels we prefer to book ourselves Regent would be a waste.